Hobart is special to me. My family celebrated graduation with a picnic in the park with John’s family.

The labyrinth was added when the park was redone in memory of a classmate. It is funny that I never noticed the marker dedicating the park to F.D. Hobart, Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds, 1925-1960, “If you seek his monument, look about you”:

It is a beautiful day, the sun is streaming and the air is cold and crisp.

As I walk I look for the moss cross that Ann pointed out to me the first time I walked this labyrinth.

And before I leave, I must go see the camellias in bloom … I love the South in winter!!

Kindred, Davidson NC: Lunch with Molly at the newest “in” restaurant in Davidson. The oysters were divine!

New-School: Crispy Oysters with Green Garlic Yogurt Kindred; Davidson, NC Battered sparingly and fried gently, Joe Kindred’s riff on oysters with tartar sauce emerges from the oil looking beige and craggy and rumpled. Beneath the pleasingly raspy exterior, these just-shucked beauties quiver. Served on a gold-rimmed plate, on a skid of garlicky white sauce that recalls a Greek tzatziki, they arrive with a tuck of watercress that complements the whole like a feather does a cap. kindreddavidson.com

kith/kin, TFA, Baltimore: Molly’s moving to Baltimore with TFA. I can’t wait to explore her new home!

“You can look far and wide, but you’ll never discover a stranger city with such extreme style,” filmmaker and local celebrity John Waters wrote in his book, Shock Value. “It’s as if every eccentric in the South decided to move north, ran out of gas in Baltimore, and decided to stay.”

Six Photographers, Photo Session With The Same Man, Most Exciting Planet: Fascinating …

When six photographers are tasked with taking portraits of the same man, the results are astonishing. Here’s the twist: each photographer is told a different (fake) personal history of the man. As portrait photographers, it’s their goal to portray this man, as they see him, in a single photograph. Though he comes to each photo session dressed exactly the same, carries himself the same way, and speaks with each photographer in the same manner, the photographers treat him differently and photograph him completely differently depending on the background story.

Actually he is still “here.” But I am holding him close. He is a ghost dog for sure. But I am dealing with the loss every morning and every mealtime as he slips away.

Reformed worship is … – The Presbyterian Outlook

At one end of the pew someone is whispering, “That communion liturgy felt so Catholic.” At the other, someone is murmuring, “This praise song sounds so Pentecostal.” “Is that how Presbyterians pray?” “Is this how Presbyterians sing?” Surely you’ve overheard such comments. Perhaps you’ve said similar things yourself. In my time with the PC(USA) Office of Theology and Worship I’ve heard many variations on the theme: “That’s too Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal . . . .” I’ve responded to countless calls and emails from pastors, elders, and members who were concerned that some new (or […]